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Home Inspection Checklist

Below you’ll find home inspection checklists broken down by category along with more detailed notes that will help you understand the importance of each system within a home. Our goal is to also show you how in-depth A-Pro CHI-certified home inspector’s 500-point inspection really is. We invite you to compare with our competitors to see how thorough of a home inspection checklist they use.

Printable Home Inspection Checklist:

General Inspection Guidelines

Deferred maintenance can indicate major problems when buying a home; take your home buyer’s home inspection checklist with you.

Beware of homes where deferred maintenance is evident. The cost to service the home and bring it up to standard can run into the thousands.

Beware of homes where there is obvious plumbing and electrical work, as well as structural additions and renovations that were not installed professionally and were most likely installed by the home owner; correcting these defects can cost thousands of dollars.

A-pro will issue a full written report detailing what is wrong, why it’s wrong, and what needs to be done to correct the uncovered defects. We will also report the positive attributes of the home to help you with your decision and keep everything in proper prospective.

Checklist-based (i.e. checking good, fair, poor) home inspection reports are inadequate. A good inspection is detailed and clear and won’t leave you wondering what to do next.

Your A-Pro inspector’s door is always open for future questions and follow-up. Our goal is to help you make educated decisions for what we know is one of the biggest investments of your life.

Take a copy of the home buyers’ home inspection checklist when you visiting perspective homes. You will find this check list to be an invaluable resource to help you remember what you’ve seen, and it will be an important aid when you accompany your A-Pro inspector.

Structure Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the home inspection checklist at the end of the bullets of each section; this should give you a good idea of what your inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

Defects in the walls, roof framing, exterior wall framing, interior framing, or cracks in the foundation may indicate a serious structural problem that may be the result of poor structural design, foundation settlement, poor construction techniques, improper structural modification, water damage, termite damage or other causes.

Raising up a house to replace damaged structural components, or underpinning a defective foundation wall is a major expense.

The home inspector has the experience, education and expertise to evaluate structural problems. This is one of the reasons why retaining the services of an “CHI” Certified Gulf Coast Home Inspector to conduct your home inspection instead of a home inspector who is not “CHI” Certified is advantageous.

Please note that most standards of practice do NOT require home inspectors to check the foundation levelness. As an example, foundation levelness testing is not required by ASHI®, NAHI® or InterNACHI®.

Roofing Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets. This should give you a good idea of what your inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

Wear on a roof may be visible if the wear is very advanced, but a roof that is starting to age is a more of a subtle defect. Your A-Pro inspector will be able expose both visible and subtle issues.

Resurfacing a roof can be a huge undertaking and costs thousands of dollars; if the existing roofing surface needs to be removed prior to re-roofing it can cost even more. This major expense may be paid by the seller if it wasn’t identified in the disclosure documentation.

Exterior Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets; This should give you a good idea of what your “CHI” Certified Gulf Coast Home Inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

The siding or exterior of the house should be carefully inspected because it too can cost thousands of dollars to repair or replace.

Homes constructed prior to 1978 may contain lead paint which can be a problem if there is wide spread deterioration of the paint surface. Lead-based paint is hazardous to your health. An X-ray evaluation of the paint surface for lead content may be recommended in some cases. To properly eradicate lead paint can cost thousands of dollars.

Replacement of older windows can cost thousands of dollars, too. Your A-Pro inspector will make sure you don’t overlook this possible deficiency.

The land around the home should be properly graded and able to divert water away from the home. This will help to reduce the possibility of water intrusion into the home and also help prevent potential vermin activity.

Electrical Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets, this should give you a good idea of what your inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

There are many home wiring safety hazards with electrical systems. The government claims over 46,000 fires per year are caused by home electrical systems. Your CHI-certified A-Pro home inspector can help you identify these hazards before signing on the bottom line.

At the outset of the electrical inspection, your inspector will determine the size of the service to judge if it is adequate, as installing an upgraded electrical service into a home can cost a thousand dollars or more.

The electrical system will be checked by removing the cover plate from the electric service panel. Once the wiring is exposed, we will look for problems such as undersized or over-sized wiring, burned wiring, over-fused circuits (the fuse or circuit breaker is too large for the wire size), improper wiring connections, openings in the panel, unprofessionally installed wiring and the like.

In addition to checking for an adequate quantity of electrical switches and convenience outlets in the house, the outlets should be checked for open ground and wiring reversal conditions.

We will also check to make sure GFCI receptacles are in installed in proper places; for example, near wet area, sinks, bathrooms and the like.

Exposed wiring, dead ended wiring, and other faulty wiring will be noted as a safety hazard in your home inspection report.

Homes wired in the mid 60s to mid 70s may have aluminum wiring and if so, your inspector should determine if an approved retrofit has been installed at the wiring connections. If not, a potential fire safety hazard exists.

If the home is very old, it may have knob and tube wiring. According to HUD, Knob and tube wiring is acceptable if found to be in good condition and a minimum of 60-amps. Otherwise, is this is obsolete wiring that can be hazardous. Extensive rewiring replacement can cost thousands of dollars.

Insulation/Ventilation Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets. This should give you a good idea of what your “CHI” Certified Gulf Coast Home Inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

Proper ventilation in a home is more important than many home buyers may think. Inadequate ventilation in an attic can result in accelerated deterioration of the structural roof deck. If this occurs, a major expense will be incurred to remove and replace the roofing shingles and roof deck, and in extreme cases the roof rafters.

Plumbing Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets, this should give you a good idea of what your “CHI” Certified Gulf Coast Home Inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

A-Pro will determine the type of pipe that supplies water to the house from the municipal main in the street.

Keep in mind, that all buildings settle and that over time, usually 25-30 years or so, the plumbing under the foundation may begin to cause problems, such as, slow draining pipes and repetitive clogs. Since these type problems can cost in some cases over ten thousand dollars to repair, you may want to ask your “CHI” home inspector to perform a pipeline video inspection. An inspection of this type typically costs about $350 and can easily pay for itself.

Old lead and galvanized steel water supply pipes replacement costs thousands of dollars. A-Pro will check the piping distribution in the house for this type of material and condition looking for deterioration, incompatible piping materials, and leaks.

A-Pro will carry a moisture meter to evaluate any suspect plaster or wall board on the ceilings and walls caused by water leaks. Replacing the piping network in the walls and ceilings is a major expense that can cost thousands of dollars.

Your inspector will check all of the fixtures and faucets for proper operation, and bathtub and shower enclosures for integrity.

Replacement of tiles or a shower pan in a bathroom can run in the thousands of dollars.

Cooling & Heating Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets, this should give you a good idea of what your inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

A-Pro will test the central air-conditioning system to be sure that it is cooling properly.

Replacement of an air-conditioning compressor can cost two to five thousand dollars.

Defective furnace heat exchangers are not always easy to uncover and can release deadly carbon monoxide into the home. Replacement can cost three to four thousand dollars.

Leaking boilers systems will also require replacement at a cost of three to five thousand dollars.

A-Pro will check for satisfactory heat distribution and and piping or duct work condition.

Safety concerns such as defective controls, inoperative emergency switches, and evidence of past malfunctions and carbon monoxide emissions must be carefully investigated by your inspector.

Plan on replacing any system twenty years or older with a modern efficient heating system.

Beware of special problems associated with radiant floor heating and other floor type heating systems as they may cause a safety hazard.

The “CHI” Certified Gulf Coast Home Inspector should advise you to have underground oil storage tanks tested for reliability; a leaking underground oil storage tank can cause thousands of dollars of environmental damage.

Another environmental concern is the existence of insulation that may contain asbestos and is especially hazardous if the material is friable. Your inspector will advise you to have any suspect material laboratory tested.

Interior Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets; This should give you a good idea of what your “CHI” Certified Gulf Coast Home Inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

The basement areas of the home should be thoroughly checked for signs of water intrusion, such as stains, mildew, odor, dampness, efflorescence on the walls and floors and damaged and/or cupping floors which is many times caused by moisture. These defects that can cost thousands of dollars to repair.

A-Pro will look for water proofing systems, sump pumps, and so forth in the basement which can help to reduce the risk of flooding. If a house needs water proofing measures, this can run into the thousands of dollars.

Built-In Appliance Home Inspection Checklist

Familiarize yourself with the following systems and components as well as the checklist at the end of the bullets, this should give you a good idea of what your inspector will be looking for with his/her trained eye.

Replacement or repair of defective appliances can cost hundreds, if not, thousands of dollars. The systems tested are: dishwasher through its normal cycle.

An additional fee may apply to non built-in appliances such as clothes washers and dryers, freezers, refrigerators, and ice.

It’s important to note that while your A-Pro CHI-Certified inspector is required by ISHI standards to inspect all built-in appliances, such requirements do not exist under ASHI®, NAHI®, or InterNACHI® standards of practice.